J. Chris Jensen (born c. 1872, Denmark) was a notable architect from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He designed 773 buildings during his lifetime across several states in the Midwest and West, including five listed in the National Register of Historic Places. [1] His family emigrated from Denmark when he was 8 years old, and he raised a family of four sons and five daughters in Council Bluffs.
Jensen designed numerous buildings, ranging from private residences to factories to places of worship and large, public buildings. The majority were in and around Council Bluffs, though several were farther afield.
Selected works:
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 62,799 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's tenth most populous city, and the most populous city in Southwest Iowa. The Omaha metropolitan region of which Council Bluffs is a part, is the 58th largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 967,604 (2020). It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from Omaha, Nebraska. Until about 1853 Council Bluffs was known as Kanesville. Kanesville was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails because there was a steam-powered boat which ferried the settlers' wagons and cattle across the Missouri River. In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad to California was connected to the existing U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs.
Charles Willard Moore was an American architect, educator, writer, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and winner of the AIA Gold Medal in 1991. He is often labeled as the father of postmodernism. His work as an educator was important to a generation of American architects who read his books or studied with him at one of the several universities where he taught.
John Gaw Meem IV was an American architect based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is best known for his instrumental role in the development and popularization of the Pueblo Revival Style and as a proponent of architectural Regionalism in the face of international modernism. Meem is regarded as one of the most important and influential architects to have worked in New Mexico.
The New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and Second Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Amelia Jenks Bloomer was an American newspaper editor, women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associated with it because of her early and strong advocacy. In her work with The Lily, she became the first woman to own, operate and edit a newspaper for women.
College Square Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located on a bluff north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district derives it name from two different colleges that were located here in the 19th century.
The Monona County Courthouse, located in Onawa, Iowa, United States, was built in 1892. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
George Anthony Berlinghof was a German-born architect who designed a number of important buildings in Lincoln and other cities in Nebraska. Some of his surviving works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Humphrey Center, also known as Old Main, is a historic building located on the campus of Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
B'nai Israel Synagogue is a synagogue in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name Chevra B'nai Yisroel Synagogue in 2007.
The Bennett Building, also known as the Ervin Building, is a historic building located in downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. The previous building to occupy this property was a Woolworth's that was destroyed in a fire in 1922. The Bennett Building Corporation was formed in 1923 to build an office building that was designed to attract medical professionals. The seven-story, brick, Early Commercial structure was designed by local architectural firm Jensen and Larson, and the Omaha firm of McDonald and McDonald served as the supervising architects. E. A. Wickham and Company of Council Bluffs was the contractor.
Edward Hammatt was an architect in the United States. He designed several notable buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
John James Huddart, known usually as John J. Huddart, was a British born and trained architect who practised out of Denver, Colorado in the United States. At the end of the Nineteenth century he was one of Denver's leading architects, known for his work on public buildings and as a courthouse architect.
Anne Evans was an American arts patron. She devoted her life to the founding and support of some of Colorado's largest cultural institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, the Central City Opera, and the Denver Public Library. She had decades of experience in leadership positions, particularly in the field of art. She was also a leader of a conservation effort and a fundraiser during World War I.
The Martin Hughes House is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It is an eclectic combination of Gothic Revival and Queen Anne architectural elements, with influences from the Neoclassical and the Stick styles. The two-story brick structure follows an irregular plan, and features decorative art glass, terra cotta decorative elements, and a wrap-around porch. It was designed by local architect S.E. Maxon. Hughes settled in Council Bluffs in 1856 and worked as a contractor before he operated a brickyard. He also owned large parcels of land in both urban and rural areas. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The Hughes-Irons Motor Company is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Floyd Hughes and George Irons established an automobile sales and service business selling Ford cars and tractors. They built the eastern six bay section of this building in 1917. The two-story brick structure exhibits elements of the Mission Revival style. Irons left the partnership three years later and was replaced by Parmer. Hughes-Parmer added the four western bays in 1923, before the business split into two different companies. Parmer maintained the Ford dealership in the original building and Hughes opened a Chevrolet dealership in the addition. Parmer was replaced by the Atlantic Auto Company in 1930. They were the first in a long line of automobile repair shops and dealerships that occupied the original section of the building. Hughes remained in the addition until 1979, although they expanded into the neighboring building to the west in 1944. Restoration of the building began in 2008, reversing the alterations done to its main facade. The local chamber of commerce occupies the main floor, and the second floor was converted into apartments. J. Chris Jensen was the architect, and the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
The YMCA Building was a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Construction of the building was partially funded by railroad magnate Grenville M. Dodge. The front section, designed by local architect Frederic E. Cox, was completed in 1909. The pool/gymnasium addition in the rear of the building was designed by J. Chris Jensen, another local architect, and completed in 1931. The front section is four stories tall and exhibits elements of the Colonial Revival and Federal styles. The fourth floor was renovated in 1931 and the shed dormers may have been added at that time. The rear addition is architecturally sympathetic to the original section of the building. The Union Pacific Railroad bought the building in 1929 so the facilities would be available for the men who worked on the railroad during the Great Depression. The local YMCA took over ownership again in 1955. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Park/Glen Avenues Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 228 resources, including 179 contributing buildings, one contributing site, five contributing structures, three contributing objects, and 43 non-contributing buildings. The district is a stylish residential neighborhood that developed between 1857 and 1942 with most of the houses built between 1880 and 1930. It was home to the area's "prosperous, second generation merchants, railroad and real estate financiers, and professionals." Several houses have been attributed to architects, including Perley Hale from Chicago, and local architects J. Chris Jensen, and John C. and Winfield S. Woodward. The Lysander Tulleys House (1877) and the Thomas E. Cavin House (1887) are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A non-residential building in the district is the Glendale Reservoir Pumping Station (1942).
The Shepard and Emma Farnsworth House is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Built by Vincent Battin in 1886, the two-story frame structure is an example of an asymmetrical Queen Anne style residence. It was designed by local architect Stiles Maxon, who was also responsible for numerous other houses in the city and three county courthouses in the state of Iowa. The house features multiple gables, the original wrought iron ornamentation on the crest of the roof, cast metal egg-and-dart trim under the eaves, three chimneys, and four porches with spindles and sawn wood cutouts. It also has stained glass, leaded glass, and etched glass windows and doors. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
Evans–Elbert Ranch, also called the Elbert-Austin Ranch, was built as a 300-acre family retreat and ranch in Upper Bear Creek near Evergreen in Clear Creek County, Colorado by John Evans, Colorado's second territorial governor. Covering most of Corral Creek, Metz, and Vance valleys, it was a mountain cattle ranch.